Over Again
by Mujakina Choshi
Summary: Hiatus. Ranma leaves and everyone freaks out. RanmaXAkane, ShampooXMousse, and as always various fiancee'sxRanma thus far. I need to know if I should keep writing this or not?
1. Chapter 1: I'm Leaving!

Chapter 1: I'm Leaving!

Story Summary:

Ranma Saotome is getting fed up with his multiple fiancées, and the fact he switches genders at inopportune moments. Thus, he decides to take a trip to the mountains to gather his thoughts and get away from his bustling, over crowded love life. As if. Some of his more determined suitors plan on following him, and the rest of the gang decide to tag along just to make sure no one elopes. And what better to add to the chaos then a brand new Character with an unknown crush that everybody's dieing to figure out who it is. Akane x Ranma, Shampoo x Mousse, Ryouga x OC, other subtle pairings.

Author Note: I'll tell you one thing: No way is this a one shot. I know, I have a reputation on old pen names of having some really whacked up fics that make no sense at all and need new chapters badly. Well, come on, it's Anime and it's Rumiko Takahashi, I HAVE to write a fiction about it.

Please don't kill me for making it a new-character insertion. ; I'll try hard to make it a decent fic.

'_Somebody once told me the world was gonna row me; I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed.' _

The door slid open with the same _shhf _sound it always did. The house was more or less quiet, considering its inhabitants, and the sound of people talking and breakfast cooking wafted through the paper-thin doors. His bare feet moved silently down the hall, to the bathroom, where he proceeded to shower and brush his teeth quickly.

'_She was lookin' kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb in the shape of an 'L' on her forehead.'_

Pulling on a red Chinese-style button shirt and a black hori(?), he opened the bathroom door to allow his father passage and moved slowly, reminiscently, down the hallway, wondering who might be waiting for him asides from the Tendous' and Happousai. Maybe one of his many women suitors, Shampoo or Ukyo might've stopped by. Maybe his long-time rival Ryouga, with whom he still had not settled his differences (or the place of Akane) with, could be hanging around still. Sometimes he wondered if Ryouga did have a home. He almost lived with the Tendous'. Or maybe he'd be accused of some mishap that happened while he was innocently asleep. Either way, he knew that he'd be able to pick on Akane, his least and most favorite person in the world. He still had conflicting emotions about her. 'I should just pick one already.' He thought to himself as he slid open the kitchen door.

'_Well, the years start coming and they don't stop coming, I bent to the rules and I hit the ground running. Didn't make sense not to live for fun; your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb.'_

Sure enough, Kasumi had just laid out her usual flawless, home-style breakfast spread, and was smiling warmly as always, chattering with Nabiki, poising her chopsticks absentmindedly whilst Nabiki grumbled with her mouth full. Akane was eating, talking with her father, Souun. Genma was probably still in the bathroom, so he sat down with a meager greeting and reached for a bowl groggily.

"G'morning."

"Morning, sleepy head!"

"Yeah."

It wasn't his fault for lacking enthusiasm; he didn't lead a very enthusiastic life. It was more of a 'Deal-or-Die' sort of thing. So he munched on a fish cake, assured it was not a towel, while Akane noticed his lack of rude mouthing-off.

"Is something wrong?"

"Nah, just enjoying the fact you didn't cook."

"Hey! I'm getting there, you jerk wad. Maybe if I had some encouragement, I'd be a little better."

"Hey! Maybe if you had some skill, you'd be a little better. _Sugar and mayonnaise?"_

He could at least convince them he was feeling well. Sure enough, his reflexes said 'guard' just in time for his forearms to shield his face from Akanes' foot. She soon removed it, and they continued eating.

"Stupid jerk."

"Macho chick."

He wasn't expecting the next assault. A foot collided with the back of his head with minimum force, sending his face into his rice. Upon removing it, he looked over his shoulder and saw- with great joy- his attacker.

"Yo, Ryouga."

"Don't speak to Akane in such an unruly manner."

He didn't bother to talk back; he merely shrugged the foot from his neck and continued eating, wiping the rice from his face. No one else thought it strange, but Akane noticed his change in attitude.

'_So much to do, so much to see; what's wrong with taking the back streets? You'll never know if you don't go. You'll never shine if you don't glow.'_

After a somewhat hectic breakfast during which he found he could eat very little, the house nearly burned down due to a sizzling glare-match between himself and Ryouga, and Shampoo popped by for a quick 'hug'. Now he walked along the fences, the usual path he took with Akane to school. He wondered why Ryouga didn't go to school. He could always leave with Akane and himself. Then he wouldn't get lost. 'What an idiot.' He thought to himself. Maybe that's why he was so horrible with directions. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a hand on his shoulder, a pale, soft hand, which slammed him from the fence into the harbor below.

"WAGH!"

"You left yourself wide open, Ranma!"

"What was that for, anyway?" He, or should I say 'she' began climbing back up to the fence to glare at her, her short black hair ruffling slightly in the springy breezes. Two things came to her mind then, as she smiled at him. He wondered if her hair was black or more of a dark brown. Disregarding that as completely useless information, he then realized once school was over for the year, he'd probably run into his many suitors even more frequently then during the year. 'Why is it always me?' He thought unhappily, climbing back out and making sure to walk on the other fence, in female form.

"You're awfully quiet today."

"What of it?"

"Is something wrong?"

"Why you should care, fiancée of mine, I'm just thinking."

"I have a name you know."

"Okay, fiancée. You better have a kettle ready somewhere before we get there or Kuno'll have a heart-attack."

"Good riddance."

At least they agreed on something. He, she, Ranma waited by the schoolyard fence while Akane went to the nurse with whatever ingenious excuse she had concocted for weaseling a kettle of hot water from the oblivious woman. He tugged on his now red hair, his Chinese outfit baggier then when he had first intended. Akane returned and splashed him without warning. A little soggy and abused, Ranma walked onto the school grounds, and as expected saw Kuno approaching. He was holding a bouquet of red roses, muttering to himself, no doubt about his 'undying' love for Akane.

"Akane! I love-"

He was cut off by Ranmas' foot, which paused to stand on Kunos' face for a moment. He then flipped off to continue walking.

'_Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid. Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play.'_

"Later. I'm not in the mood."

"I thought I told you to stop fighting my fights for me."

"You're too stupid to fight your own fights."

He said begrudgingly, remembering she didn't even know Ryouga was actually her beloved pet pig P-Chan, let alone had a huge crush on her. She could be really oblivious sometimes. He stood bent over in half staring at the ground for a minute. Her book bag was really heavy.

"………"

"Mind your manners." Akane retorted, continuing to her classroom.

"Since when have I done that?" He said, lifting his head upright again.

Leaving Kuno unconscious on the ground as usual, they headed into class. Luckily, things went fine, asides from a second interrogation about Kunos' dear 'pig-tailed girl'. Upon arriving home they found Ryouga had been suckered into helping Kasumi clean. After all, he did spend a lot of time eating around their dojo.

"Oh, Ryouga, that's so kind of you!" Akane gushed. Ranma rolled his eyes. He allowed himself to be swept away by his father, in human form once more, for a training session. Ryouga blinked, and wondered why Ranma hadn't make some cruel remark about 'Yes, P-Chan, how thoughtful!' or the like. However, his suddenly finding himself in the gratitude of Akane caught up to his senses and he began showing off (perhaps proving his use as a prospective husband).

"How long have you been working, Ryouga?" Akane asked, glaring after Ranma. She decided to make him jealous, again. It may or may not work, but it may bring him back to his senses. Oh, how wrong she was…

'_And all that glitters is gold, only shooting stars break the mold.'_

Meanwhile, Ryouga was still fumbling for words. Akane was making more small talk than usual. He just _knew_ that getting here early wasn't just luck! It must've been the power of LOVE! But… it wasn't exactly love reflecting in Akanes determined gaze. Whatever could she be staring at him for? His fantasies of fairy-tale romance quickly flitted into secret-revealing nightmares. Oh, it had been a while since she asked the question. She must've wanted an answer.

"Oh...uh...heheh… since noon, but that's not…"

Finally, an answer! She had been waiting for the poor, confused guy to respond, so she may whisk him off to the kitchen, regardless. "WOW!" She cried, exaggerating her voice inflictions. This startled Ryouga a little. He jumped, gripping the broom more tightly. He was already wringing it rather roughly, and it was cracking a little under the stress. Thankfully, Kasumi took no notice of this, and continued dusting obliviously.

"You must be HUN-GRY! I'll make you something, RyouGa!" She said, dripping enthusiasm. Ryouga, the poor moron, mistook it for flirting, and promptly broke the broom into many, many pieces in his hand. "O...o...o-o... Okay!" He spluttered, and Akane grabbed his hand and dragged him off, still stammering.

"Oh. Come _on._" Said the pig-tail dangling from behind the roof shingle. Ranma peered into the kitchen, scowling at Akane's egregious attempts to catch his attention. He dropped down next to her, startling both her and Ryouga on their way to the kitchen. "Look. I know what you're doing, brick-brains." He said, glaring scarier than ever. He didn't need this. What did he care? WHY did he care? Why did he keep butting in between Akane and Ryouga? … Maybe, he thought, he didn't have a reason.

"OH? And what does it mean to _you_?" Akane rebutted, gripping Ryougas hand tightly. But… Ryouga was starting to have a growing suspicion something was wrong with this picture. When he and Akane went on that date… Every time Ranma tricked him in female form… Even those times when he teamed up with Ukyou, something always felt off. But now it was even worse.

"Uh, Akane…" He started. Maybe it was because… none of them would accept his _other_ form.

"Just a second, Ryouga." Akane said, trying to sound sweet, but it didn't work. "You've been moping around ALL DAY! What's the problem?"

"I don't need to tell you!" Ranma snapped back. He was reaching the end of his rope very quickly.

'_Somebody once asked 'Could you spare some change for cash? I need to get myself away from this place.''_

"Well if we're going to be engaged, you should tell me about these things."

"Hey, guys?"

"Who wants to be engaged to an uncute macho chick like YOU?"

"Guys?"

'_And I said, 'Yep. What a concept! I could use a little trip myself. And we could use a little change…''_

"FINE! IT'S NOT LIKE I WANT TO BE ENGAGED TO A HE-SHE ANYWAY!"

"GOOD! CAUSE I'M **LEAVING!"**

"…"

"What?"

- Owari! –

End of chapter one. Whaddaya think? I can't wait to continue. The new character hasn't shown up yet, but expect her sometime around chapter 3, if not immediately in the next one. R&R, constructive flames welcome! (If you just want to tell me 'it sucks,' why even bother?)


	2. Chapter 2: Uncertainty

Chapter 2: Uncertain…

Before note: No song in this one. I'm not taking the song out of the last one because I think it fits in fine. I know, most OC's suck, but it's not like this one is all-powerful or irresistible-for-no-reason-what-so-ever. Just a normal person, who may as well be one of those school-girls at Furinkan that we always see, but never… ever… ever…. Have names….

This chapter picks up from where Ranma announced he was leaving. OC may or may not show up in this one depending on how lazy I am.

"Wh…What?" Akane repeated, staring rigidly at Ranma. "Leaving? To where? What are you talking about1?"

"It doesn't matter anymore!" Ranma swung his arm wildly behind him as he turned, as though he was throwing something down in disgust.

"I just need to get away! From here! From my fiancées! From the challenges! From everything!" He finished in a huff and backed up a step. The tension was beginning to boil and Ranma could feel Akane's mixed emotions encroaching upon him, her large brown eyes tinged with concern.

"Ranma, did something I say… bother you?" She asked. Akane was worried that she was driving Ranma away- sure, he seemed depressed since this morning, but she had never expected anything as drastic as this. Dragging poor Ryouga into this, and upsetting Ranma so much, she couldn't tell what she was thinking in trying to make Ranma jealous. Clearly, something stupid.

"Wait, where are you going? How long will you be gone?"

"I don't know Akane. A few weeks. A few months. I just need to be alone for a long while. Look…" He opened his mouth, as though to apologize for snapping, but he caught Ryougas eye, who was staring at him with almost equal concern. Was he really going to leave Akane all alone- with RYOUGA? And Kuno? And… Mousse would show up looking for him. Shampoo too. And Kodachi, and Ukyou, and then the principle would surely have something waiting for him when he got back. All these thoughts turned Ranma's brain upside down again and he turned away.

"Never mind! I don't know anymore! I just wanna be alone! I can't take it anymore!" And with that, he leapt from the room and up the stairs, where the door of his room slammed shut quite audibly.

"Ranma, wait! D-don't go!" Akane didn't want to be alone- and more importantly, she didn't want Ranma to be hurt. She could full-well understand why Ranma would start to crack under the chaos that generally reigned over Nerima, but did the poor guy honestly think he could just escape everything by running away? She chased after him up the stairs.

"…"

Ryouga was left standing, rather confused and somewhat deterred, in the middle of the Tendo's living room. Saotome was leaving. Akane just chased after him up the stairs. He played the conversation over in his mind, lifting his index finger to his forehead, and pressing, as though he might open some valve that was holding back some vital piece of information needed to bring the whole thing together. Nothing happened. He scratched the back of his neck idly, looking around. _'Well,' _He thought, _'I guess Saotome gets just as uncertain about things as I do. But, if he's leaving, what will Akane do? Keep going to school, I guess. Maybe I should go on a training trip.' _

He made to grab the things he left by the door and leave. _'No, no, I'll just get lost again.' _He stopped. _'I kinda feel bad for coming here to challenge Saotome. Wait, no I shouldn't! It's his own fault he's gotten all depressed. But, I get depressed and leave a lot, too. This could be my chance to be alone with Akane!' _His face brightened for just a moment, and then it fell again. _'No. I couldn't do that to her while Ranma's gone.' _He sighed. As of late, he noticed Akane was becoming more and more centered around Ranma. Ryouga was no where near giving up, but Ranma had more or less sucked all of the romantic motivation out of him, and Ryouga felt like going home. Home, if only he could find his.

"Keh! A home, what is it, really? A place to sleep, a place to eat? I have everything I need traveling around!"

"So then, what's the problem?"

"I don- AAAAAAACK!"

Ryouga swung on his heels to see Nabiki, the middle Tendo sister, standing in the kitchen door-way, Kasumi behind her, hands raised in her usual 'Oh, my!' pose. He face-faulted. How long, exactly, had they been standing there, watching him?

"I, uh, I, I was just about to leave, and I thought maybe, Um- did you see Ranma and Akane just now? Do you… Ah." He stopped short as Nabiki came up to him and lifted a finger to her lips, imitating the infamous 'shh' sign, better known as 'shut up.'

"Just start from the beginning and tell us what happened."

Ryouga explained the fight Akane and Ranma had, Ranma's emotional declaration, his own confusion as to what to do next, and how Ranma was planning on leaving.

"Come to think of it, Ranma and Akane ran up stairs quite a while ago. We should go check on them." Nabiki and Kasumi nodded and trekked upstairs hurriedly with Ryouga and swung open the door to Ranma's room. Empty. All traces that Ranma had once stayed in this room where gone, except his empty bed, and a few old letters and mementos he kept in a box where slightly strewn around the floor around it.

And of course, Akane, who was kneeling on the floor, looking very distressed and very hysteric. Ryouga and Kasumi rushed over to her. She kneeled there in shock, staring at the open window. Tears had welled in her eyes, but refused to run. That is, until her sisters and Ryouga walked in. Their presence gave proof that this wasn't just a bad dream. She let the tears flow freely.

'_You can't leave!'_

'_Watch me!'_

'_Ranma, what am I supposed to do without you?'_

'_I don't know! You and Ryouga seem to be getting along fine! Don't you get it, dimwit? I just wanna be a normal guy!'_

'_You're… you're not going to China to look for the 'Spring of Drowned Man,' are you?'_

'_No. Not China. It's not your fault. It's everybody's. I want to cool off. I want to clear my head.'_

'_Can't you do that here?'_

'_No. I can't, Akane.'_

'_I… I still don't understand! Why are you leaving?'_

'_I'll come back- I promise. Maybe everyone needs to cool off for a bit.'_

'_It's not like you to say things like that.'_

'_Yeah. I know. I'm really angry. I'll see you when I see you, Akane.'_

And with that, he leapt out the window, a sizable pack strapped to his back, carrying all he would need for the trip. Akane, still confused as to exactly why Ranma felt the need to take this vacation, slowly began to dry her tears, Kasumi shaking her gently.

"Akane? Akane? Finally, you're coming to. Are you okay? What happened?"

"Ranma didn't strike you, did he?"

"No..No. Of course not. But… He's gone. He really left. He says he'll come back… but… I don't want to think about what it'll be like without him."

"Oh, cheer up, little sister!" Kasumi said, trying to share some of her ever-lasting optimism. "It may only be for a few weeks. I'm sure he'll be back."

"Yes. He will. He promised."

Elsewhere, Ranma had long since made his way out of Nerima. The streets were unfamiliar now, as where the people, who glanced over him as though he were barely there, the only thing particularly noticeable about him being his large backpack and his characteristic pig-tail. It had grown fairly dark, and the world seemed tinged with the faint blues of night. It was cool for summer, and a pleasant breeze blew from the north. Ranma liked being a stranger in the crowd. He was known for some odd things and odder battles in Nerima. As he reached the city limits, he looked back over his shoulder- something he had been trying hard not to do until now.

"Don't worry Akane. I'll be back soon. When… I'm not certain."

- Owari! –

End of Chapter 2. Well. Things are finally moving along now. The OC IS going to show up in chapter 3, which I expect I'll be posting around next week. Or this weekend. It depends. Well, Review please, constructive criticism welcome.


	3. Chapter 3: Kasumi's Insight

Chapter 3: Kasumi's Insight

Before note: Eeeh. To respond to some reviews: Yes. Akane is getting a little dependant on Ranma. I'm still playing around with the status of the characters, trying not to make things OOC. Bear with me, please. I'm trying out writing this and trying to improve as I go along. I appreciate everyone who's reviewed- Except one.

People who do not like certain pairings: Don't review me and tell me so. I honestly don't care. If you don't like the pairings in this fanfiction, don't read it. If you were misled, and ended up reading it anyway and something possessed you that you could not hit the 'back' button or close the window, that's not my fault either. I don't mind flames, I don't mind constructive criticism, and I certainly appreciate good remarks. But 'Akane Ranma SUCKS' is none of the before mentioned, and does absolutely nothing for anybody. Come to think of it, don't review ANYONE'S fanfiction to tell them that. Thank you.

But thanks to everyone else. By the way, I'm taking out the OC. I just don't feel like writing with it anymore. Too many people tell me they don't like fanfiction with OC's in them, and I can't help but agree. And I also apologize for being so late with this one. I've been working on a web comic and such.

This is a really long before-note. ON WITH THE FANFIC!

"1/2 'a cup of milk…"

The snow-white liquid poured into the little pink bowl. She set down the large jug to the side, picking up a fork as her hand made its way back. She whisked the contents of the bowl as she moved to the other side of the kitchen. She ducked her head a little to avoid the small curtains hanging from the door way. She surveyed the breakfast she had already laid out and who was already digging in.

"Kasumi! This is wonderful food as usual!"

Her father lifted a bowl of pan-fried rice, an unusual breakfast choice, over his head, before bringing it back to his face. Kasumi couldn't help but giggle. "Thank you, father. Ah…" She stopped whisking momentarily to glance at Akane. She had just come down the stairs in her usual school-wear, the blue dress over the typical off-white shirt, and was rummaging with her foot by the front door for her shoes.

"…" Kasumi turned and went back into the kitchen to pour the egg mixture into the pan. She cleaned out the bowl into the pan with the fork, and then set them both down by the sink. She paused to listen to the others in the dining room for a moment.

"No, I don't want any breakfast. I'm fine. I'm going to be late. G'bye." And then a door shut. Soun sighed heavily.

"Are you going to look for him, Saotome?"

"I think the boy might be right. I mean, he knows himself better than we do, doesn't he?"

"I'm not sure I approve of his just running away like that. It's not very manly. He's acting like a little kid!"

"Still. Maybe we should let him be for a bit? Give him a few more days, then we'll go find him."

"Certainly."

Kasumi furrowed her brow- a rare occurrence. She gently used a shiny black spatula to prod at the omelet. It sizzled, almost angrily, and she jumped a little when the hot oil bubbled and jumped from the pan. She shifted it around a little more and it settled. Turning down the heat on the stove, she took the pink bowl and other utensils she used and turned on the water in the sink. Placing them carefully in the water, as not to break anything, she looked up and out of the window above the faucet.

"… I wonder where he went."

…

"NO WAY! YOU'RE SERIOUS?"

A brown book bag, very reminiscent of a briefcase, slammed onto her desk. A vein throbbed on her forehead and she looked up. A girl with thick, reddish-brown hair pulled back by a pink headband had both fists curled around the handle of the bag. The girl had dark eyes, burning with anger.

"Ranma dumped you? Seriously? He just up and left? What a jerk-fiancé!" The girl declared, louder than Akane would have liked. She instantly began to regret ever telling this girl about what had happened yesterday.

"He didn't dump me." She said in a dead-pan voice.

"Then what would you call it, Akane?" Another friend of hers said. This one had lighter hair, not blonde, not brown, not really any discernable color. Her hair was curly and sitting loosely on her shoulders.

"He took a vacation. People do that. They take breaks. Haven't you ever heard of a student going on a trip a little before summer break started?" Akane raised a brow over chocolate orbs, her short-cropped, blue-black hair pulled behind her ears.

The other two girls looked at each other. The brunette looked back at her. "But… there's still a whole month left before break."

"Oh, you get my point!" She shouted in exasperation, a little louder than she would have liked. She folded her arms and leaned back a little in her seat. She glanced at the clock, counting the minutes left in free-period.

"Whatever. It's Ranma. He always does stupid stuff like this. I don't care what that idiot does. It'll be _good_ to have him out of the way. Maybe things will actually be _normal _for a while."

"Normal! Ha! That's a laugh!" A boy a few desks over said out loud. Akane wondered how long he had been listening, but she didn't really care. A couple other students laughed, and one projected the memory of when Ranma jumped out of the window, or when he fought with the principle then or there. Akane rolled her eyes and sighed deeply.

Ukyou watched the congregation of students and Akane from a little further away. She was still wearing the boy's uniform, not seeing anything wrong with the little habit. A bandolier of spatulas- all different sizes- was strapped across her chest. She was resting her chin in her hand. She hadn't moved since she heard the conversation drifting her way.

"Ranma's on _vacation_?"

…

Later that afternoon, after the school bell had rung, Akane couldn't find anyone else to walk home with other than Nabiki, who had offered long before Akane would've thought to ask. So they trudged home together, a cicada or two making its voice heard along the way. It was silent for the most part. They had started past a market place when they saw Kasumi, whom was holding a basket hooked on her left elbow, and had the other hand resting on the side of the basket, as though to make sure it was still there.

"Hey! Kasumi!" Nabiki called out, waving from their distance a few yards away. Kasumi looked up, a little oblivious, but she recognized them both and waved in return. After the younger two sisters made their way over, Kasumi explained was shopping for dinner, and asked for their input on the menu ideas.

"I don't need to shop for as much, I suppose." Kasumi said, though it seemed like she meant to think to herself.

Akane weighed a peach in her hand, she gripped it a little, and then loosened it. "Yeah…" She said, barely paying attention.

"Akane, are you gonna be okay?" Nabiki tilted her head a little as she leaned forward, trying to catch Akane's eye.

"What? Yeah! Of course. I don't care about it anyway." She thought back to last night, where she kneeled on the floor, with tears in her eyes. She shook her head violently trying to shake the thought away. "I… I was mad at him for hanging around Shampoo all the time. It was because she kept making deals with him… but… I didn't want him to…"

"Akane, stop." Nabiki intervened. She placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "It's not your fault he left. He said himself, he wanted to cool down. I'm sure he probably feels bad about it. He always does things like this."

"Yeah, whatever." Akane pushed Nabiki's hand away and continued down the street. Kasumi was paying for the groceries. Nabiki waited for her, watching Akane leave.

"Did she go on ahead?" Kasumi asked, turning around and not seeing Akane in sight.

"Yeah. She can't hide the fact she's worried."

"Do you think she's worried or she misses him?"

Nabiki made a sort of half-chuckle. "Both."

"You know…" Kasumi started, looking up at the evening sky. It wasn't quite a sunset, but the sun was not at its high point, either. Nabiki turned her head with an attentive expression. "All that father and Mr. Saotome ever do is try to make Ranma be a man. That's all Ranma seems to want, too, all he tries to prove."

"Yeah, that's kind of normal, don't you agree?" Nabiki said, folding her arms behind her head. One hand still clutched her school bag.

"Yes, well. Maybe he just doesn't want to be a man all the time."

"He sure acts like a little kid all the time, if you ask me!"

"No, no. I mean… We always want him to be strong and sturdy and dependable, and he just wants a cure, and he never seems happy with what we ask of him. Maybe we ask too much, or maybe just he's sick of it. But either way, we know he's insecure, but he never shows it. Maybe it's out of insecurity that he ran away."

"…"

"What?"

"I'm not used to things like that of you. Stop it. It's scaring me."

"Just because I don't need to use it very often doesn't mean I don't have a brain."

"Whoa."

-Owari!-

After note: Well, more conversation than I would have liked. Pretty boring. I'll work in Shampoo, Mousse, Kuno, and Kodachi in the next chapter. See ya then.


	4. Chapter 4: Ohohohoho!

Chapter 4:

Pffft. It's been so long since I last updated this. I've been working (or not working, heheh) on a web-comic, and that's getting remodeled, so I find myself with more (non-guilty) free-time to work on this. I'm sort of scrambling for ideas because I'm not sure how fast or slow I want this to go, but I guess by the fourth chapter we should've progressed the storyline at least a little bit. Ha ha! I promised Shampoo, Mousse, Kuno and (shudder) Kodachi in this chapter. Hmm, this should be interesting (not to mention long…).

Thanks for the reviews, again.

Akane stretched out, feeling the little crick in her neck pop back into place. She tapped her pencil lightly on the side of the desk, staring down at her geometry homework. She wasn't a brilliant student, especially with her habit for selective hearing, but she passed with a little above average. Considering this, she had to wonder what kind of grades Nabiki had, as she'd never taken a peek at her report-card before. She found herself giggling a little at the thought of Nabiki cheating on a test or selling the answers. Nabiki wasn't generally a cheater, just a … practical thinker.

She sat back a little more. _See, I laughed. The world isn't ending. He's probably training, and then he'll be back, teasing me… _Her brown eyes trailed up the bulletin board she had over her desk. There was the empty spot. Back down on her desk was a picture in a clear frame, Ranma surrounded by girls. Akane pushed it a little to the side. There were marks in the corners where thumb tacks used to hold the picture up elsewhere. _Did he really become that important to us? _She traced the side of the frame, it was smooth and cool, just as when she first got it as a Christmas present from Ranma.

"Hmph." She rose and pushed the chair in, stuffing the homework in her backpack. She decided to finish it later that night, today was Saturday, and one of her few precious days off from the asylum called Furinkan High. She grabbed a black purse, the ones with the old-fashioned latches on a brass clasp, and slipped on a blazer. She marched from her room, down the hallway, down the stairs, propelled by pure stubbornness. She burst into the multi-purpose dining/living room where her father and sisters sat around a plate of oranges watching T.V. Nabiki and Kasumi looked up. Sagaciously, Kasumi paused in peeling an orange as to not slice her fingers off.

"What is it?"

"I'm going to take the afternoon off, and spend the rest of the day out. I'm going to relax." She declared, as though this were a drastically important decision.

"How will we find you if we need you?" Soun asked, separating cleaves of oranges into little rows on six rectangular plates. She figured they were preparing a dessert.

"Need me for what? Kasumi's finished most of her housework... If there are any errands to run, I can get them while I'm out."

Soun looked up and smiled a little. "OK, I guess we'll live without you for a few hours. Be sure not to wander too far, and try to look out for yourself." He said in that typical fatherly voice.

"Don't worry, I always do. And I won't go any place I'm not familiar with." Akane responded, feeling his fatherly-ness was misplaced; it would have been more helpful the last time Kuno barreled into the house. She slipped into her tennis shoes. "Are you sure there's not anything you need me to get?"

"Some extra rice would be nice," Kasumi started, having returned to her peeling. "Just a medium bag, if you could please stop by the convenience store. They should have it."

"Sure, 'sis." Akane nodded. She started out, closing the door behind her. She stopped for a minute to consider what she was wearing: the dark red blazer over a white tank-top, with a paler, more pink-ish skirt down to her ankles. It was rather Valentines-y, in her own mind, but there certainly wasn't anything wrong with it, and the weather was cool and not too warm. So she continued out of the Tendou gates, the little black purse clutched in both hands.

--

Elsewhere, namely, the other side of town…

"You know, I can't pay you, but if you want to start cleaning dishes that's fine with me."

"…Huh?"

He looked up abruptly, balancing a stack of three or so plates, holding them level with his head. Staring blankly in the direction the voice came from, he managed to splutter out, "U… Ukyou?"

"Uh-huh."

"But this is… Nekohanten?"

"Nuh-uh."

"…"

She reached out and flicked down his glasses, which previously were precariously perched on his forehead. The lenses fell down before his eyes and suddenly things came back into focus. There was brunette Ukyou, her hair pulled back in a signature ponytail, today with a thin sky-blue tie. She had an insanely large spatula strapped to her back by a rather thin leather cord, which rested at an angle over the bandolier of cooking utensils. This was donned over a black sort of corset, and the trousers from the Furinkan High uniform. The boys' uniform. For some reason, the strange thought occurred to him that she vaguely resembled a dominatrix- if not for her large and clear eyes- and that the leather cord could easily be used as whip. He dismissed the thought quickly and blamed it on his days spent being tortured by the disturbing Amazons back home.

"Um… Hi."

"Heya." She responded casually. She took the dishes from his raised hand, and set them down by the counter with the other dishes collected throughout the day. He glanced around the restaurant, a few tables here and there, a couple of flyers, it was very nice. Especially with the counter in the front where one could sit and chat while watching the Okonomiyaki master prepare the dish right in front of you. Now that he had his glasses on, Mousse wondered whatever possessed him to believe this was the Cat Café.

"I'm, um, er, I'm used to just coming in and picking up work at the Nekohanten, so…"

She chuckled a little. "It's all right. You should stay and eat as long as you're here." Ukyou gestured to the frying surface, slick and black. She also held up a spatula- this one dwarfed by the one on her back.

"Ah, no, I couldn't, I have to work…"

"For why? Don't you live in the back of the Nekohanten? Does that old Ghoul make you pay a big rent?"

"No, she deducts that automatically from my paycheck… I'm just saving up for, for… something." Mousse automatically understood 'Ghoul' to mean Cologne. Everyone called her that- with good reason.

A sly smile spread across the young chef's face. "Something like… a date with Shampoo?"

He jumped, and he adjusted his glasses with hands long lost somewhere in his huge sleeves. "How did you know?

"Come on, it's so obvious."

"Well, I'm grateful just to be near her, but it's not enough, I wish I could break that damn spell Ranma has over her…" He tensed visibly. Ukyou hadn't really noticed before, or maybe she had, but Mousse really could be maudlin at times.

She sighed in exasperation at the mention of Ranma's name. He was her sweetheart, her friend, and an idiot. "Well, you won't have to worry about him for a while."

Mousse perked up at the mention of this. Lifting his cheek off of his hand, his recent position in sulking, he blinked through the thick glass before his eyes. "Why? Did something happen to him?"

Ukyou blinked back. "Are you concerned?"

"Of course not! I'm just curious." Mousse did tend to have a regal look about him, at least, when he wasn't being a lovey-dovey goofball over Shampoo. Now he tossed his hair back in defiance and gave her a little harrumph, followed by a serious glare. She opted not to tease him anymore or he might damage something. Possibly, the restaurant.

"He's on vacation. He up and left two nights ago, no one's sure when he's coming back. I overheard Akane talking about it at school- poor thing's upset, though she won't admit it."

But the last part was of no concern to Mousse. He looked a little dazed, then nonplussed as he put a single finger to his temple. He was silent for a while longer before looking up again. "But if he's gone, that means Shampoo will-"

Before he had a chance to finish this, the said Chinese Amazon came bursting through Ucchans' Okonomiyaki shop doors, succeeding in breaking them off their hinges. The crash was followed quickly by a cry of "SPATULA GIRL!"

"….do something like that." Mousse trailed off.

"What is it, Shampoo?"

The question barely left her mouth before Shampoo stormed up to the counter, stepping over it to grab onto what there was to grab onto of Ukyous' corset outfit. The amazons' sleeves were rolled up and she clutched a bon-bori(?) in one hand. Shampoo growled at Ukyous' evident disinterest.

"What you do with Ranma?" Shampoo growled, intense auburn eyes narrowed into the chefs black ones. She spoke in her usual fractured Japanese, layered with her high-pitched voice and Chinese accent.

"Nothing. As I was just explaining to your boyfriend here, Ranma went off of his own accord."

"Liar! He had- Mousse is not-" Shampoo stumbled verbally for a minute, trying to viciously reply to two things at once, "Ranma is only one Shampoo care about! He no leave without good reason, without taking Shampoo with!" Oh, yes, clever response.

Ukyou restrained herself from openly mocking the Amazon's third-person ranting, and simply shrugged, pulling Shampoo's hand off of her corset. "I wasn't even there, Shampoo. He lives at Akane's house, and he left from there, I should think."

"Then it Akane's fault!" Shampoo declared.

"No, well, maybe. I don't know. Akane seemed upset, and if it was her fault, I think she'd be denying it furiously."

"…True…" She admitted reluctantly.

In the meantime, poor Mousse stood watching back and forth, not needing his glasses to follow the discussion from purple-pink shape to black and brown-ish shape. Mentally, he chuckled at the description, then realized (for a second time) the actuality of this situation.

"Wait, wait!" He burst out suddenly, in the middle of the two girls trading off ideas of hunting down Ranma. This succeeded in grabbing their attention, both looking slightly annoyed that he had interfered. "Shampoo's not the only one after Ranma. That scary gymnastics lady will probably notice something's up."

"That's right!" Ukyou's eyes lit up. She bounced her fist against her open palm, staring straight forward as if she could see through the restaurant walls by will alone. "I wonder what Kodachi will have to say about Ranma's absence?"

--

Elsewhere again, namely some corner of the town we're not sure even exists,

" I DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT! DO YOU HEAR ME, YOU CRAZY-"

"LIES! LIES, ALL OF THEM! YOU WRETCHED WITCH!"

The poor floorboards splintered apart upon impact. Kodachi withdrew the club-like gymnastics ribbon from the wooden rubble. Currently, the fight had been moved to the walkway of the house next to the garden. Kodachi glanced at the pond where Mr. Turtle was, but he had been recently fed, and may not be that much of a help.

Akane wheezed slightly, seeing the damage of the ribbon. It was a total and complete accident- she passed the Kuno house on her way to a fair, and the enraged Kodachi just burst out, screaming bloody murder. Akane backed up a step, catching the gymnast's attention.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" She screeched, jabbing the club-ribbon forward. "You're going to pay for chasing away my darling Ranma-chan!"

"Ranma-cha..? Look, I didn't chase him away, he just left! He didn't… He didn't even …" She was about to say he didn't even say goodbye, but that was a lie. She briefly remembered his good-bye speech, before he jumped out of the window. She shook her head to disperse the memory.

"He just up and left, okay? If it had anything to do with anybody, it was probably people like YOU!" She thrust her index finger at Kodachi, struggling to keep the volume down. She was sick of the entire buzz about Ranma being gone. "He goes on training trips all the time. What's the big deal!"

"O-HO HO HO HO HO!" Kodachi erupted, succeeding in frightening the Tendo in front of her. "I'm not deaf, my dear Akane. My barely-useful brother told me that Ranma-chan was gone for good."

"Kodachi, your brother's an idiot."

"I'LL HEAR NO MORE!" Kodachi ended this with a most dramatic flourish, swinging the ribbon out in front of her. It unraveled and twisted gracefully before falling limply at her feet.

"Leave, Akane Tendo, I must prepare to go after my darling!"

"You're the one who chased me in here! G… GO AFTER?" Akane spluttered.

"Of course." Kodachi brought her arms inwards, holding herself delicately. "I can tell, because of the bond between us that my darling is in desperate need of comfort." She sighed deeply, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "I am _obviously_ the only one suited to comfort him in his time of need. I must find him, and bring my beloved Ranma-chan back to his senses!"

"_You're_ the one who needs to come back to their senses…" Akane mumbled under her breath. Gathering her wits, Akane began her march out of the Kuno residence. Before she rounded the corner, she turned to Kodachi.

"And by the way, _darling_, Ranma promised me he'd come back when he left. He didn't drop in on you, did he? Oh, well. It must've slipped his mind." And feeling wonderfully devious, Akane flitted out of the Kuno home in a hurry, miraculously finding the gates without bumping into Tatewaki.

"Why, I ... She…. That little…" Kodachi's frustrations could be heard throughout Nerima.

---OWARI---

FINALLY. Sheeee… took me forever to get this one up nn; I wish they were better. But they're supposed to be humorous, so they can't be as flowery as I would like them to.


	5. Chapter 5: Sort of?

Chapter 5:

Eh. I'm getting really tired of this fanfiction. It's not turning out very well and I'm pretty unhappy with what I've done so far on it. It's definitely not my usual writing style, or my preferred genre, actually. I've never finished a fanfiction before because I rarely work on them. I've tried with this one, but it seems pretty boring. I really appreciate the time people take to review, you guys are awesome, but I really want to start this over. Or maybe I should just start a new fanfiction…?

- Just thought that I should mention that I don't own Ranma, because if I did, I'd be Rumiko Takashi, kind of old, and living the good life in Japan.

Which I'm not.

Below is a little snippet of what Chapter 5 WOULD have been…

It looked lovely, really, it did- pinks and greens and blues. Unfortunately for Akane, color did not necessarily equal taste.

"DAMMIT, AGAIN?" She screeched.

Forcefully chucking the misguided concoction into a trash bin (where it could fester amongst other failed culinary attempts), she pivoted on her heel and kicked a bowl that had fallen to the floor in the commotion. It promptly went soaring out of the open window, and probably on for a long time. Slowly, she regained a somewhat normal composure.

"I want to make something nice. Just once!" She sighed heavily.

"Just who are we making it for?" Kasumi piped up. She had watched sorrowfully as one of her bowls was punted out the window. "That was the cute one with the green rim and the ducks on it, too."

"Nobody…!"

"Oh, so you're just practicing for the sake of practicing?" Kasumi smiled knowingly. After all, it's common knowledge that one can't hide things from older siblings, at least, not easily.

"…" Akane dropped her gaze to the side. She tried to find something to focus on, but the floor space was empty, and the tiling decidedly uninteresting.

"Do you think it's one of the reasons he left…?" Kasumi came out from behind the doorframe. She peered intently at Akane, trying to catch her gaze. She tilted her head to the side, chin tucked in. Akane glanced up to see her sister's big brown eyes set below raised eyebrows. "Because, you know that's not it."

Akane tried to think of something to say. She laughed a little. "Although, I wouldn't put it past him to run from my cooking…"

"Well, you've been getting better." Kasumi said thoughtfully.

"Really! You really think so?" Akane brightened up instantly. She clasped her hands together. "If you're saying it, it must be true!"

Kasumi smiled and nodded. After all, it wasn't TOTALLY untrue…

"Agh… it's just… I told him not to leave like this again!" Akane shrugged, rolling her eyes simultaneously. "As usual, it's like talking to a brick wall. He's such a muscle head."

-

Owari

Well? I don't know if I should continue. I want to start something and I want the beginning to be good, because I'm a friggin' perfectionist. So sue me.

Not that you would win anything, because I'm dirt poor. Nyeah.


End file.
